Waspie_Dwarf
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The leadership, cosmonauts corps and team of S.P. Korolev Rocket-Space Corporation Energia express sincere condolences to the relatives and friends on the death of the Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, the USSR pilot-cosmonaut, member of the RFCP Central Committee, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Federal Assembly of the 1st - 4th convocations, USSR State Prize winner, one of the veterans-developers and test engineers of the national space technology Vitaliy Ivanovich SEVASTIANOV.

V.I. Sevastianov started his working activity in 1958 in famous Korolev's OKB-1, its department led by Mikhail Klavdiyevich Tikhonravov. From the very first days he took part in designing the world's first space vehicle. Just in a year, being a graduate student, he delivered a course of lectures on space flight dynamics to the first corps of cosmonauts, including Yu.A. Gagarin. It was then that space vehicles Vostok were used for the first time in the history of earth's civilization for flight performance by the first planet's cosmonaut and the first woman cosmonaut, our compatriots Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin and Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova.

In 1965 Vitaliy Ivanovich defended candidate's thesis. In January 1967 he was appointed test cosmonaut candidate and in May 1968 he was enlisted in cosmonauts corps. From 1968 to 1990 V.I. Sevastianov had passed more than 15 cycles of training in primary and backup crews under Programs L1 (circumlunar flight), LÇ (Lunar landing), programs of autonomous flights of Soyuz space vehicles, station Salyut, DOS-1, DOS-2, Salyut-4, Salyut-6, Salyut-7, Mir.

He performed two space flights. From June 1 till June 19, 1970 he had performed autonomous flight as a flight engineer of Soyuz-9 space vehicle. The space vehicle crew established the world record on duration of stay in space. From May 24 to July 26, 1975 he performed the second space flight as a flight engineer of Salyut-4 Prime Crew. That flight together with cosmonaut P.I. Klimuk offered in many respects the prospect of subsequent build-up of duration of space crew activities.

Invaluable experience of space flights was successfully implemented during building and utilization of multi-module orbital complex Mir, unique creation of the XX century. Sevastianov contributed a lot to the development of onboard photographic and video complexes, onboard computers for crew members.

V.I. Sevastianov is an extremely decent, sociable and understandable person, he took an active part in the national social and political life as the deputy of the Russian Federation State Duma; for many years he was the narrator at Central TV who ran the program "Man. Earth. Universe.". Also he occupied the position of the USSR Chess Federation Chairman. He is the author of the six inventions and one discovery, the member of a number of foreign Academies, including International Academy of Astronautics.

For his great services to the country and international community he was given the honorary title of the Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, decorated with two orders of Lenin, Orders of the Necklace of Nile (United Arab Republic) the Order of Orthodox Church" Reverend Moscow Prince Daniil" Second Class; awarded with gold medals after K.E. Tsiolkovsky from the USSR Academy of Sciences; after Yu.A. Gagarin; "For the Services in the Science Development and to Humanity" (Czechoslovakia); with the Copernican medal from the association "Man and Space" (FRG); presented with the highest award of the International Academy of Astronautics, the Award after D. and F. Guggenheim; the honorary diploma after V.M. Komarov and medal de Lavour (FAI) and many other medals.

Vitaliy Ivanovich Sevastianov will leave fond memories of himself forever as a bright personality, follower of S.P. Korolev, our colleague and associate, friend and fellow worker, famous public and political figure; pilot-cosmonaut who contributed a lot to space research and development of national cosmonautics.

Guenter Wendt, the legendary pad leader who often was the last person astronauts saw before going into space, died at his home Monday morning in Merritt Island, Fla., within a few miles of NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Wendt had been hospitalized with congestive heart failure and suffered a stroke. He was 85.

Wendt, a naturalized American originally from Germany, spoke with a thick accent and made a reputation as a strict overseer of the launch pads and spacecraft astronauts flew. Those traits earned him the nickname "Pad Fuhrer." He also was the first pad leader for crewed spacecraft.

The movie "Apollo 13" made famous the line about the pad leader when Tom Hanks, as astronaut Jim Lovell, asked, "I wonder where Guenter Wendt?"

Fact was, Wendt was never far from the space program. He stood watch over the Mercury and Gemini missions. The contractor for the Apollo spacecraft did not retain him as a full pad leader, Wendt recorded in his memoirs. So, Wendt was at home when the Apollo 1 fire erupted and killed Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee as they ran through a countdown test at Launch Pad 34.

Afterward, astronauts including Wally Schirra insisted on Wendt's return. Wendt was in charge of the White Room and launch pad when Schirra and his crew lifted off on Apollo 7, the first crewed Apollo mission after the fire. Wendt saw all the Apollo astronauts off on their way to the moon, too, before taking serving as the head of flight crew safety for the Space Shuttle Program and served on the investigation board that reviewed the Challenger accident.

He retired in 1989, but still didn't leave the space program far behind. He worked as a consultant on Hanks' production "From the Earth to the Moon," and also worked with the team that recovered the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. That was the Mercury capsule Gus Grissom flew into space, but the spacecraft filled with water after splashdown and sunk.

He also returned to Kennedy on occasion and spoke with today's spaceflight engineers, technicians and specialists.

In May 2009, Wendt told them to establish credibility, learn from mistakes and "think outside the box." He also told them, "Don't fake it. Always have the facts to back up your statements," and "never take things for granted."

Within the White Room atop the gantry on Launch Complex 39 Pad A, the Apollo 11 astronauts egress from the Apollo spacecraft after participation in the Countdown Demonstration Test. In the foreground of the photograph is Astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Pad leader Guenter Wendt talks with Neil Armstrong. Astronaut Michael Collins stands to the left of Armstrong.

Guenter Wendt was "the fuehrer of the pad" ( a nick-name the astronauts affectionately gave him).

When a spacecraft arrived at the Cape, he was responsible for it...completely, totally, and anyone who touched the spacecraft answered to him. In fact, he approved everyone and anyone who touched his spacecraft, or they didn't touch it at all. There was no work done, and nothing installed, removed, or modified in a spacecraft unless Guenter said so.

Wally Schirra loved him because he terrorized everyone. Wendt was once quoted as saying, "There's no reason to say I am narrow-minded. Just do it my way and you will have no problem at all." Pete Conrad once said, "It's easy to get along with Guenter. All you have to do is agree with him!"

Many are the stories of Guenter having an engineer removed from the pad during the Gemini Program. The engineeer wanted to make a pad fix on a spacecraft, with or without Wendt's permission. He got himself up on the Mobile Service Structure and had the distinct misfurtune of running into "the fuehrer", who had security come up and threaten to put the man in handcuffs and remove him by force unless he left the pad.

He did.

Wendt launched virtually every manned spaceflight from Al Shepard through Apollo 17, save a couple of Gemini flights. He was a warm, fatherly figure and the astronauts insisted on his presence when they launched.

Another Apollo giant has passed...

God bless you, Guenter...

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MID 364

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...The greatest error is not to have tried and failed, but that in trying, we did not give it our best effort.

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TALM 0

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Thanks for the Guenter Wendt summery MID. Ive always seen photos of the man lurking around the pad, but I always assumed he was a faceless Pad Bee. Now I know why he always looked like he was the man who was in charge. Thanks for sharing

Question though................

I was researching his employment work history and I found this " The native of Germany and served as Luftwaffe on-board mechanic during the war". Considering that Germany's Air Force ceased to be by the time he immigrated in 1949, what did he do in the time when became unemployed and the time he arrived here?

And, if you can indulge me, what did an "on-board mechanic" do? When I think "on board" I envision a mechanic that flies on a bomber or something large.

Also vague is if he had any hands on work with many of the wonders Germany was pumping out in those days. Like the first jet fighter or the V2 rocket. I know he was not part of Operation Paperclip, so I would think he was not on the top list of scientist that were recruited when the war was brought to an end. Where was he at in career development during those days?

One last question...........

After the war, was he living or working in the east or west of Germany?

Edited May 5, 2010 by TALM

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MID 364

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...The greatest error is not to have tried and failed, but that in trying, we did not give it our best effort.

Thanks for the Guenter Wendt summery MID. Ive always seen photos of the man lurking around the pad, but I always assumed he was a faceless Pad Bee. Now I know why he always looked like he was the man who was in charge. Thanks for sharing

You're welcome!

Yes, TALM, he was the man in charge. There was no question about it....ever.

Question though................

I was researching his employment work history and I found this " The native of Germany and served as Luftwaffe on-board mechanic during the war". Considering that Germany's Air Force ceased to be by the time he immigrated in 1949, what did he do in the time when became unemployed and the time he arrived here?

And, if you can indulge me, what did an "on-board mechanic" do? When I think "on board" I envision a mechanic that flies on a bomber or something large.

I don't know regarding what he did in Germany in the post war years...although I suspect that Guenter had a hard time finding any work in aircraft design and/or development in the immediate post-war years.

As to "on-board mechanic", what he was actually called was a "flight engineer".

A flight engineer was responsible for the operation and monitoring of essentially all aircraft systems, and was also responsible for the diagnosis of problems and implementing fixes to those problems, where possible, in flight.

It's a largely obsolete aircrew position in today's modern aircraft, as computers have automatically taken over the functions of the FE. There are exceptions, of course. Aircraft with more than two engines (like the L-1011 and 7470 still have FE's on board). We have an FE aboard the Shuttle as well.

Also vague is if he had any hands on work with many of the wonders Germany was pumping out in those days. Like the first jet fighter or the V2 rocket. I know he was not part of Operation Paperclip, so I would think he was not on the top list of scientist that were recruited when the war was brought to an end. Where was he at in career development during those days?

He was a mechanical engineer who had done a four year apprenticeship in aircraft design during his military career.

He was not a member of Von Braun's crew at Peenemunde. When he immigrated in 1949, he became an auto mechanic until he was naturalized in 1955, at which time he was able to be hired by McDonnell Aircraft.

One last question...........

After the war, was he living or working in the east or west of Germany?

That's another one I don't know the answer to TALM. Sorry!

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Leonid Denisovich Kizim (born August 5, 1941 in Krasnyi Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR) was selected as a cosmonaut on October 23, 1965.

Kizim flew as Commander on Soyuz T-3, Soyuz T-10 and Soyuz T-15, and also served as backup commander for Soyuz T-2. All together he spent 374 days 17 hours 56 minutes in space. He retired on June 13, 1987.

Administration of the Russian Federal Space Agency expresses deepest condolences on the death of Leonid Kizim to his relatives and friends.

Waspie_Dwarf
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NASA remembers Roy Estess, former Stennis Space Center Director, who passed away on June 25, 2010. Estess had a 37-year career at NASA, which began in 1966 where he was a test engineer at NASA's Stennis Space Center, known then as the Mississippi Test Facility, and worked on the engines for the Apollo Program. In 1989, he was named center director of Stennis and served in that role until 2002. He also served as acting center director of Johnson Space Center.

The host of Public Television's "Star Gazer" show, Jack Horkheimer, died on August 20, 2010. Originally called the ‘Star Hustler,’ the program ran for 30 years and Horkheimer’s craggy voice combined with his flamboyant, show-biz style made him a unique and internationally recognized pioneer in popularizing naked-eye astronomy. Horkheimer was 72 and died of a respiratory ailment, according to a spokesman for the Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium, where Horkheimer was the executive director for over 35 years.

Museum officials said Horkheimer was the “foremost commentator on all astronomy related happenings nationwide. His show reached millions of people, helping to create a love of the stars for several generations of enthusiasts."

Above is his final show. Horkheimer took advantage of the internet and made his shows available on You Tube. But the show’s original name, “Star Hustler” caused a problem when people did internet searches, as the adult magazine “Hustler” usually showed up at the top of search engines. As a result, the producers renamed the show "Star Gazer" to avoid any confusion or sending any unintended traffic Hustler’s way.

Horkheimer’s appearances on the show were always marked with his opening line, "Greetings, greetings, fellow star gazers!" and his signature closing line, "Keep looking up!"

I dont think there are many who had never heard of this man, I watched him many years ago and was a weekly diet for me as a youngster.

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ROGER 253

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The host of Public Television's "Star Gazer" show, Jack Horkheimer, died on August 20, 2010. Originally called the ‘Star Hustler,’ the program ran for 30 years and Horkheimer’s craggy voice combined with his flamboyant, show-biz style made him a unique and internationally recognized pioneer in popularizing naked-eye astronomy. Horkheimer was 72 and died of a respiratory ailment, according to a spokesman for the Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium, where Horkheimer was the executive director for over 35 years.

Museum officials said Horkheimer was the “foremost commentator on all astronomy related happenings nationwide. His show reached millions of people, helping to create a love of the stars for several generations of enthusiasts."

Above is his final show. Horkheimer took advantage of the internet and made his shows available on You Tube. But the show’s original name, “Star Hustler” caused a problem when people did internet searches, as the adult magazine “Hustler” usually showed up at the top of search engines. As a result, the producers renamed the show "Star Gazer" to avoid any confusion or sending any unintended traffic Hustler’s way.

Horkheimer’s appearances on the show were always marked with his opening line, "Greetings, greetings, fellow star gazers!" and his signature closing line, "Keep looking up!"

Rog: U.S. pbs watchers will indeed miss him.

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Fluffybunny 48

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I recall our family all watched him religiously when Haley's Comet was approaching and passed by, then everyone lost interest and that was the last I recall seeing of him; I wondered what had happened.

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realmcutter 1

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I recall our family all watched him religiously when Haley's Comet was approaching and passed by, then everyone lost interest and that was the last I recall seeing of him; I wondered what had happened.

yeah, we should name a comet after him one day

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Former NASA astronaut William 'Bill' Lenoir, who flew aboard the first operational flight of space shuttle Columbia in November 1982, died on Saturday, August 28 from head injuries suffered during a bicycle accident two days earlier. He was 71. Lenoir served as a mission specialist on STS-5 which became known as the "We Deliver" mission. Two commercial communications satellites were successfully deployed from the orbiter's cargo bay. Lenoir was selected as a scientist-astronaut by NASA in August 1967. He logged more than 122 hours in space and retired from NASA in 1992.

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics press release is reproduced below:

Release No.: 2010-25

For Release: Thursday, November 18, 2010 12:00:00 AM EST

Brian Marsden, Eminent Astronomer and Comet/Asteroid Tracker, Dies

Cambridge, MA - Dr. Brian Geoffrey Marsden passed away today at the age of 73 following a prolonged illness. He was a Supervisory Astronomer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Director Emeritus of the Minor Planet Center.

"Brian was one of the most influential comet investigators of the twentieth century," said Charles Alcock, Director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, "and definitely one of the most colorful!"

Dr. Marsden specialized in celestial mechanics and astrometry, collecting data on the positions of asteroids and comets and computing their orbits, often from minimal observational information. Such calculations are critical for tracking potentially Earth-threatening objects. The New York Times once described Marsden as a "Cheery Herald of Fear."

The comet prediction of which Marsden was most proud was that of the return of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which is the comet associated with the Perseid meteor shower each August. Swift-Tuttle had been discovered in 1862, and the conventional wisdom was that it would return around 1981. Marsden had a strong suspicion, however, that the 1862 comet was identical with one seen in 1737, and this assumption allowed him to predict that Swift-Tuttle would not return until late 1992. This prediction proved to be correct. This comet has the longest orbital period of all the comets whose returns have been successfully predicted.

In 1998, Marsden developed a certain amount of notoriety by suggesting that an object called 1997 XF11 could collide with Earth. He said that he did this as a last-ditch effort to encourage the acquisition of further observations, including searches for possible data from several years earlier. The recognition of some observations from 1990 made it quite clear that there could be no collision with 1997 XF11 during the foreseeable future.

Dr. Marsden also played a key role in the "demotion" of Pluto to dwarf planet status. He once proposed that Pluto should be cross-listed as both a planet and a "minor planet," and assigned the asteroid number 10000. That proposal was not accepted. However, in 2006 a vote by members of the International Astronomical Union created a new category of "dwarf planets," which includes Pluto, Ceres, and several other objects. Pluto was designated minor planet 134340. This decision remains controversial.

Marsden was born on August 5, 1937, in Cambridge, England. He received an undergraduate degree in mathematics from New College, University of Oxford, and a Ph.D. from Yale University.

At the invitation of director Fred Whipple, Dr. Marsden joined the staff of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass., in 1965. He became director of the Minor Planet Center in 1978. (The MPC is the official organization in charge of collecting observational data for asteroids and comets, calculating their orbits, and publishing this information via Circulars.) Marsden served as an associate director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 1987 to 2003 (the longest tenure of any of the Center's associate directors).

Among the various awards he received from the U.S., the U.K., and a handful of other European countries, the ones he particularly appreciated were the 1995 Dirk Brouwer Award (named for his mentor at Yale) from the American Astronomical Society's (AAS) Division on Dynamical Astronomy, and the 1989 Van Biesbroeck Award (named for an old friend and observer of comets and double stars), then presented by the University of Arizona (now by the AAS) for service to astronomy.

Dr. Marsden married Nancy Lou Zissell, of Trumbull, Connecticut, on December 26, 1964, and fathered Cynthia Louise Marsden-Williams (who is now married to Gareth Williams, still MPC associate director), of Arlington, Massachusetts, and Jonathan Brian Marsden, of San Mateo, California. He also has three grandchildren in California: Nikhilas, Nathaniel, and Neena. A sister, Sylvia Custerson, continues to reside in Cambridge, England.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is a joint collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA scientists, organized into six research divisions, study the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the universe.

“All of us at the Johnson Space Center are deeply saddened by the passing of former astronaut Mike Lounge,” said Michael Coats, Director, Johnson Space Center. “I personally had the pleasure of working with Mike in one capacity or another for more than 30 years. He had an unwavering love of country and dedication to our nation’s space program, as evidenced by a sterling career as a naval aviator and astronaut, and veteran of three space shuttle missions. His many friends at Johnson are thinking of Mike’s family during this difficult time.”

Lounge’s service to NASA began at Johnson in July 1978, when he worked as lead engineer for space shuttle launched satellites, and as a member of the Skylab re-entry flight control team.

Lounge, a Navy veteran, went on to join the astronaut corps in 1980 and after his initial training, served as a member of the launch support team NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for the STS-1, STS-2 and STS-3 missions.

Lounge was a veteran of three space flights, logging more than 20 days in space. He flew on STS-51I in 1985, STS-26, the first shuttle flight after the Challenger accident, in September 1988 and STS-35 in December 1990.

He went on to serve as the chief of the Space Station Support Office, representing astronaut interests in space station design and operation planning until his retirement from NASA in 1991.

Paul G. Dembling, co-author of the legislation that founded NASA, died on Monday, May 16, in Florida. He was 91 years old.

Paul G. Dembling helped write the

agency's charter, the National

Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958.

Credit: NASA

As general counsel to NASA's precursor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Dembling helped shape the agency's legislative charter, the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958. In a 1992 interview, Dembling described the process of drafting the bill.

"A lot of the policy aspects of it were done quickly," Dembling said. "But the functions and the authorities that were embodied in that piece of legislation were well thought out and very well considered."

Dembling was born in Rahway, N.J., on Jan. 11, 1920. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1940 and a master's degree in 1942 from Rutgers University. He earned a J.D. from George Washington University Law School, where he served as an editor of the law review.

After NASA became operational, Dembling joined the staff, eventually becoming the agency's general counsel. He also managed the agency’s Legislative Affairs Office under Administrator James Webb, and served as a deputy associate administrator before retiring in December 1969.

"Of all the jobs I have had and things I have done, I am most pleased with the creation of the legislation for NASA," Dembling said in a 2002 interview.

Scherer was born in Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 20, 1919. He attended the University of Kentucky, was a 1942 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a retired naval aviator. He also received a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the California Institute of Technology and a doctorate from the University of Central Florida.

From 1967 to 1971, he led the Apollo Lunar Exploration Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington and helped pick out landing sites and exploration opportunities for the first human expedition on the moon. In 2009 as the nation was celebrating the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, Scherer talked to Spaceport News, Kennedy's newspaper, staff about his work with NASA's Apollo Program.

“We watched the first man step down onto the moon on a vague, rough television picture. It was breathtaking for everyone in the program,” he said.

Scherer then assumed the role of director at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California. During his tenure at Kennedy from 1975 to 1979, Scherer oversaw the launch of more than 50 satellites and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project -- the last Apollo mission and the first collaborative mission for the United States and Russia. He also managed the transformation of the center as NASA geared up for the Space Shuttle Program and was the first to land a plane on the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF).

"I made about four landings over there with nobody to see me but the alligators. Then went over to the strip and made two touch-and-go's and then a full-stop landing," Scherer recalled during an oral history interview in 2002.

"There was a busload of people that had come out to watch it, a couple of reporters there who had a few questions . . . I said 'That is the most unimportant landing that'll probably ever be made at this facility,'" Scherer joked. "It was quite a thrill. I was a carrier pilot so I'm used to landing in small areas. That runway goes right on out over the horizon."